A diacony of encounter

A methodological proposal in the face of the current context of community diakonia in the IECLB

Abstract

This research presents an analysis of the situation regarding community diakonia in the IECLB and explores the phenomenon of the community's encounter with contexts of injustice and suffering as an event that potentially triggers the sensitivity and diaconal awareness of the members and communities of this church. The initial hypothesis that diakonia tends to occupy a peripheral place in the communities of the IECLB was confirmed. It was possible to conclude that, from the congregational period of the IECLB to the present day, the predominant profile of community diakonia articulated within the IECLB has undergone few changes. Its main features remain marked by assistentialism and spontaneism, generally understood within the dimension of subservient intra-community service. In this context, the identification of the phenomenon of encounter, while offering an explanation for the current framework of community diakonia in the IECLB by asserting that one of the obstacles to its development is the distance between members and the community with contexts of injustice and suffering, represents a promising proposal in the horizon of awakening the sensitivity and diaconal conscience of the members of the IECLB. In methodological terms, the research is constituted as bibliographical and documental, combined with descriptive and explanatory social research, adopting a qualitative approach with quantitative support.